Etsy vs Shopify Fees
Two very different cost structures: Etsy charges per sale, Shopify charges a monthly subscription plus payment processing. Here's the math at three price points.
Bottom lineEtsy is cheaper per sale up to about 30 sales a month. Past that, Shopify Basic ($39/mo) wins on cost — and you keep your customer list.
Side by side
| Sale price | Etsy fees | Shopify Basic fees | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| $20 | $1.62 (8.1%) | $0.88 + $39/mo | Etsy (low volume) |
| $50 | $3.65 (7.3%) | $1.74 + $39/mo | Etsy (low volume) |
| $100 | $6.95 (7.0%) | $3.19 + $39/mo | Shopify (mid volume) |
| $250 | $16.85 (6.7%) | $7.54 + $39/mo | Shopify |
| Break-even / month | ~30 sales at $50 | — | Switch to Shopify |
What Etsy charges
- $0.20 listing fee per item (every 4 months)
- 6.5% transaction fee on sale total (item + shipping)
- 3% + $0.25 payment processing (US)
- 12–15% offsite ads fee — only on ad-driven sales
What Shopify charges (Basic)
- $39/month subscription
- 2.9% + $0.30 per online card transaction (Shopify Payments)
- +0.5–2% extra if you use a third-party gateway
The break-even point
Set Shopify's fixed $39 against the per-sale savings vs Etsy. At a $50 average order value, you save roughly $1.91 per Etsy-equivalent sale on Shopify. $39 ÷ $1.91 ≈ 20 sales/month — that's where Shopify Basic starts paying for itself. Higher AOV moves the break-even down.
The real reason to move
Cost is the headline, but ownership is the story. On Shopify you own your customer list, email opt-ins, and brand. On Etsy, you rent traffic and Etsy sends every email. For a long-term business, that asymmetry usually matters more than the per-sale fee.
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Last updated: 2026-05-15 · Browse all calculators